China will establish a national digital platform to register voluntary workers and their organizations by 2020, according to guidelines released by eight central government departments.
The new directives, which fall under the administration of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, will encourage governments at all levels to create a better environment for the growth and development of voluntary organizations, and allow them to enlist their services. The directives also encourage government officials to participate in voluntary work.
Meanwhile, China will also establish a national training system for volunteers and encourage certain regions to set up training bases to train the managers of voluntary organizations.
A report by Xinhua News Agency stated that, based on incomplete data, China could be home to 180,000 registered volunteer organizations and over 66 million volunteers, indicating that such organizations could play a key role in helping the vulnerable and maintaining social stability.
Deng Guosheng, deputy director of the NGO Institute at Tsinghua University, said China “needs to promote volunteering and civil society.” Compared with international norms, he said, the Chinese public still have limited involvement in volunteer services.
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